Dr Melanie Etti is a clinical research fellow in paediatric infectious diseases and microbiology and is based in Kampala, Uganda. She is currently working under the supervision of the MNCH Working Group co-chair, Professor Kirsty Le Doare, on a large, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded study, which is focused towards reducing the incidence of Group B Streptococcal disease among neonates in Uganda. Following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked to set up periCOVID Africa. This international, multi-site study aims to understand the sero-epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 among the pregnant population in five Sub-Saharan African countries (The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda). Her research interests include the development and evaluation of targeted and population-based strategies for infectious disease prevention and control, particularly in resource-limited settings.

She joined the COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition’s Ethics Working Group as an observer.